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Thursday, March 22, 2001

BRADENTON, Fla. -- In what in all likelihood is a first for a Pittsburgh sports figure, Pirates pitcher Kris Benson candidly discusses in the May issue of Penthouse Magazine the sex life he and his wife, Anna, share. Although regular Penthouse readers might find the interview mild compared to others the magazine has published, those whose reading habits veer more toward, say, The Sporting News are apt to be flabbergasted at the Bensons' openness about their sex life.

And coming as it does from the Pittsburgh athlete with the squeaky-cleanest image, it's a stunner.

The subject matter the story covers aren't exactly fodder for a family newspaper -- or any newspaper. Among the topics raised and with which Benson and his wife discuss with candor are their sexual fantasies -- he, Carmen Electra and Elizabeth Hurley; she, Al Pacino; his thoughts on phone sex; which of the two is the aggressor in the bedroom; and home movies in which they are the stars.

Benson, who is nothing more than a regular "C-minus or D" in a postgame interview, comes across as a "B-plus or A" for Penthouse.

A photo accompanying the story has the Bensons embracing, which would not be extraordinary except both are bare-chested.

A copy of the article was circulating in the Pirates clubhouse yesterday morning, which resulted in a rare baseball sight: Major-league players giggling.

Benson was smiling, too, when he emerged from a long stint in the trainer's room to take on the issue. He seemed pleased that the world had seen another side to what most everyone had assumed was a bland personality.

To his great credit, Benson proved to be the ultimate stand-up guy in addressing this issue. He backed down from nothing -- although he hadn't even read the interview. There was no assertion that he had been misquoted and nothing approaching an apology. He had no regrets. If the opportunity came up again, he left little doubt what he would do.

Benson's basic stance on the matter was pretty simple: I've done nothing wrong so there's no need to apologize. As he pointed out several times, he and Anna are married.

"I thought it was something done in good taste and it was something my wife and I had a lot of fun doing," he said. "It wasn't anything controversial. There wasn't anything bad about it. We had fun and we thought it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We thought it would be interesting to talk about and people would like to read about it.

"Everybody knows about my baseball image. Everybody knows I'm pretty businesslike. I like to do a lot of things in the community. I like to do a lot of things with the fans. I have fun in baseball and I have fun away from baseball."

And what about that picture? Was it not a bit risque?

"There wasn't anything shown," he shot back. "Nothing shown at all [which isn't completely true]. Everything was done in good taste. If her dad saw the picture, I'm sure he would be fine with it. We thought it would look good in a magazine like that. You can't go into Penthouse fully dressed."

Manager Lloyd McClendon said he had no intention of discussing the article with Benson. "I'm concerned about what he does between the lines, not between the sheets," McClendon said.

If there are no repercussions from the Pirates -- aside from some expected kidding and teasing from teammates -- that doesn't figure to be the case everywhere. Whether he likes it or not, Benson has altered the way he will be viewed by the baseball public. By speaking openly on a subject that rarely is discussed at all, Benson reinvented himself -- even if he doesn't think so.

"I don't think it changed my image. I'm still the same person. I gave people a different look at the type of person I am and the type of lifestyle I lead with my wife."

His image has changed. But that doesn't mean it should change for the worse.

Bob Smizik can be reached at bsmizik@post-gazette.com.